The 1994 Soccer World Cup was held in the USA in front of enormous crowds and it looked like the game was about to take off in the States. It hasn't happened . Why ?

Friar Tuck

The Americans wanted to change the game to suit their marketing. Four quarters instead of two halves and bigger gouals to get higher scoring matches. They needed to do this to be able to get the revenue returns that they do in other high profile sports. When they found that they were unable to change it to suit themselves, they lost interest and football sank almost without trace. Jun 02 02, 10:20 PM

Barrow boy

It is very difficult for a 'new' sport to compete with (American) Football, (Ice) Hockey and Baseball. These sports are more immediately exciting than 'Soccer'. We might as well face it that the USA has gone in one direction and most of the rest of the world in another. As far as American insularity is concerned, this is an inevitability through circumstance. The USA is an enormously large country with a similar enormous cohesiveness in its social and political structures. That makes it what it is. If the USA was in a continent half the size and vying for influence with 40 other countries, it would under those circumstances be much more 'European' in its culture. That's why it is important that Americans should realise that they should elect presidents whose world vision extends further than Mexico. Philosophy or what?!!! Jun 03 02, 10:10 AM

Jack Flash

Sometime during the 1950s I recall reading an article in Charles Buchan's Football Monthly magazine entitled 'America Could Sweep The World'. The author was making the point that America, with its huge population and financial resources, could easily become the major football nation if it so desired. But, as Barrow Boy has pointed out, for this to happen Americans would have to move away from their established sports such as baseball, (American) football, basketball, ice hockey etc. This would need a change of culture and, sadly, the existing rules which allow individual games to result in a draw would not find favour with the American public, which favours a clear winner every time. Jun 03 02, 3:34 PM

RickF

I always understood that there were two reasons: 1. When televised, they could not arrange for the referee to stop the game when required so that advertisements could be screened. 2. When they held the World Cup, they thought it would be like the World Series, but were disappointed when non-US teams were allowed to enter - and win! Jun 07 02, 7:08 AM

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